Remember
by Essex Cole
Summary: Years after graduation, Craig returns to South Park and asks Tweek for something that he cannot give. Creek, oneshot.


**AN: Important!: This is NOT the sequel to **_**What It's Like To Be Honest**_** that I mentioned! This is just a little thing that popped into my head. And for the full effect, I'd like to recommend you listen to "**_**Pictures of You**_**" by the Cure before reading this, it's what this fic is based on and it really sort of…idk explains it haha. I hope you like!**

The bell on the door jingled and Tweek looked up from the table he was wiping to see a black-haired man enter the otherwise empty coffee shop. Closing time was nearing, and he had left all the teenage baristas go home early. He finished with his table before straightening up. "Something I can get you?" he asked, deciding to leave the rag on the table as he headed for the counter.

"Uh…Don't you recognize me?"

Tweek froze in his tracks. Turning slowly, he asked quietly, "…Craig?"

Craig smiled.

"CRAIG!" Tweek ran to throw his arms around the man before him in a tight hug. "What are you doing here? It's been forever!"

Craig's grin only got larger as he felt Tweek twitching slightly, tight in his grasp. "I came back to see Ruby's new baby," he laughed. "I can't believe she's still here. And I can't believe _you're_ still here! And that you didn't even recognize me!"

A guilty look crossed Tweek's face. "Sorry," he apologized, pulling away. "But you look so…different!"

Which was true, he thought as he surveyed Craig. The last time they'd seen each other they were…what? 20, 21? It was Token's bachelor party, he knew that. But back then, he still wore that stupid hat, and over very short hair…and his shirts were almost all blue. But now, at 26, his (fully exposed) hair had grown out just enough to be fashionably disheveled with Axe products, he was clad in a black leather jacket and equally dark jeans, and he had finally grown into his features, making him look at last like an adult.

"Yeah," Craig agreed after a minute of letting himself be analyzed. "I grew up, huh."

"I wasn't gonna say _that_," Tweek grinned cheekily, reaching past him to turn the OPEN sign on the door around. "Sit down," he said, pulling out a random chair out from a table on his way to the counter. "I'll make coffee."

After he had set Craig up with a steaming cappuccino and a heated chocolate chip muffin, Tweek sat down himself. "So what have you been doing?" he asked excitedly, "Where have you been?"

"I own a car dealership now, in Sacramento." Craig smiled to himself. "It started out as a gas station."

Tweek whistled. "Holy shit. You must make _bank_."

With a generous shrug, Craig asked, "So. Are you the owner here?"

"And manager, yeah."

"Of course. And still twitching, I see."

As if to illustrate his point, a particularly violent jerk forced Tweek briefly into a hunched position. "Yeah," he said, flushing slightly. "So. Who are you with?" He stood to finish wiping tables.

When he reached one, though, he heard Craig clear is throat. "Well," he said slowly. "That's kind of what I'm here about."

"What do you mean?" Tweek asked, wiping up a coffee spill.

"…Well," Craig repeated. "I'm actually going to be staying here for a few months. And I was thinking maybe you and I could…start hanging out again?"

For the second time in only half an hour, Tweek stiffened. "You mean get back together," he stated, his tone hollow.

"Yeah, I guess. Well…no. That's exactly what I meant." Craig stood up and followed Tweek to the table he was cleaning. "Just recently—looking at some pictures—I was kind of, you know, remembering us. As a couple. Those were really good times, you know?"

Tweek sighed, but also laughed. "Craig, that was when we were teenagers."

"So?" Craig moved to stand behind Tweek, wrapping his arms around the waist of said blonde. "Don't you remember how much fun we had together?" When he heard Tweek gulp, he coaxed, "Come on. When I had a job at Abercrombie, and you visited me once…And I started kissing you over the counter, and I got fired?" This made Tweek stifle a laugh, so Craig went on. "And the time we stayed up all night so that I could prove to you that there were no gnomes, but then we saw one, and I threw it out your window? And you said you were in debt to me, so I made you swear to hold my hand at school the next day. But that turned into every day."

"We were only f-fifteen." A tremble disturbed Tweek's speech and he frowned, wriggling slightly to hint at Craig that he wanted to be let free.

"No, wait," Craig said, completely on a roll. "Remember when you pretended to like horror movies because I wanted to watch one, and you got so scared that you ended up on my lap in the theatre? And when the lights came on at the end of the movie, that old lady was all, 'those boys must be best friends, how adorable!'"

Tweek gave up struggling as Craig tightened his grip, but he did manage to stand up straight. "Yes, Craig, I remember," he said resignedly.

"Then why not?" Craig rested his chin on Tweek's right shoulder, smiling. "Why did we even break up, anyway?"

"Thomas," Tweek whispered simply. "We broke up because Thomas didn't like me, and that bothered you."

There was a long pause from Craig. "That was so long ago…" he finally murmured, and Tweek could tell that he had thoroughly forgotten that part. "I was so stupid then."

"I know," replied Tweek firmly. He took advantage of Craig's moment of surprise and pulled out of his old flame's hold. "Like I said, we were just teenagers back then." He walked around the table to pick up his rag, then headed to the next table. "I got over it a long time ago; we've been friends since then—"

"But…you don't trust me." Craig's voice turned to silk and his face formed a pout, forcing Tweek to look away, flushed again. "I hate that."

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that I don't really think we should get together again. Like that, anyway." Tweek bit his lip as he mopped especially hard at the table in front of him, noticing that he was getting jumpier and twitchier. "I want to be friends, though. If that's okay."

Eyebrow raised, Craig walked smoothly towards him again. "I don't even remember that shit with Thomas. Any of it. All I know is that in high school, I loved the hell out of you. And when I came back here, I hoped maybe we'd finally be together again. In love, again. So I really wish that you would give me a chance." Reaching Tweek, Craig stretched a hand out to bring Tweek closer, cupping his chin as Craig pressed his lips onto the blonde's.

For a moment, it was just them—_together_—but Tweek soon pulled away.

"Remember?" Craig whispered desperately.

"I'm sorry," Tweek said, though he'd half wanted to nod.

And so he watched Craig retreat from the shop, a raven-haired man reduced to tears as he disappeared into the snow.

**AN: Well if this isn't angsty I don't know what is -_- whoops. Anyway, this fic is CANADIAN—I wrote it while I was up there this past week! But now that I'm home, I can start working on **_**Ghost **_**again, to anyone who might read that story too =) btw, I'm a bit disappointed this ended up being so short—on paper it's five written pages that I worked very hard on! And I stressed for a while about whether to call this "Remember" or "Together"—review and tell me what you think? =)**

**-ARRGH!-Cpt. Essex Cole`**


End file.
